Always There
by FallingStar95
Summary: Jack Dawson has been dead for a year. On the anniversary of the Titanic's sinking, he comes to tell Rose and their newborn son his final goodbye. My first Titanic fic. Please review!


**_Hey there, guys! Well, this is my first Titanic fanfic, and if this one gets some good feedback, I'm thinking about beginning a multichaptered "Jack Lives" fanfic. I've already got some good ideas in store, but I wanted to see how a Titanic oneshot would work out first. So, please read and review, and tell me what you think and if I should write a "Jack Lives" fic. Also, if you have any good ideas, send them to me. I might just be inspired! Thank you for reading!_**

**_Here are a few songs I listened to while writing this:_**

**_"My Heart Will Go On" - Celine Dion  
"Faithfully" - Glee Cast  
"Keep Holding On" - Avril Lavigne  
"By The Way" - Theory of a Deadman  
"Why Don't You Kiss Her?" - Jesse McCartney (Just a random side note, I think he kinda looked like Jack Dawson when his hair was still blonde. HOT!)  
"Your Guardian Angel" - The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus  
"How To Save a Life" - The Fray  
_****_  
_**

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Jack Dawson was dead. He had been dead for nearly a year now, but he wasn't gone from the world. He was somehow tied to earth by an invisible bond, his love for Rose. All throughout her trials, all the times she needed him, he was there, even if she didn't realize it. Whenever she was sad or lonely, he was always right there beside her, invisible to mortals' eyes, but he would never leave her until he was sure that she was alright. He didn't want to use the term "ghost." It was much too cliché. However, he couldn't think of any other way to describe his current condition.

Today was the day that Rose Dawson had been dreading for months, knowing that the onslaught of memories may be just too much for her to bear. It was April 14th, 1913, the anniversary of the sinking. As the clock on the mantle ticked 11:40, she could feel the terrible crash vibrating beneath her feet again as the iceberg struck the so-called "unsinkable" _Titanic_. She sat motionless, staring at the wall to keep herself from going insane with grief. She knew that crying would only wake her three-month-old son, Jack's son, from his slumber, and she didn't want others in the apartment complex to hear her sobbing either.

Jack knew she was miserable, and of course, he wanted to somehow be there for her, even if she didn't know it. He would give absolutely anything to be able to speak to her one last time, to tell her that he loved her. He knew that they had a son, but he hadn't been able to bring himself to see him. As soon as he saw that tiny baby, see how it looked like him, he would lose himself. He wouldn't be Jack Dawson anymore. He would be a father that never was, and he couldn't risk falling into that kind of depression. It made him feel guilty enough that Rose was alone, but he didn't want to think about his own child growing up without a father to help guide him through his life.

He thought of his love, and in no time, he found himself standing in her sitting room. He turned his head to look at her, and his heart nearly shattered. She lay on the couch, curled into a fetal position with her arms wrapped around her knees. Her eyes were wide open, staring forward into space with only the sound of the clock ticking to keep her sane. But suddenly, for some reason, every ounce of her resolve fell apart, and she burst into heart wrenching sobs. Jack looked to the clock and realized what she was seeing. It was 2:20 a.m. on April 15th, the exact time that the _Titanic_ had sank into the depths. It had been exactly a year since his death.

Rose continued to sob, burying her face in a pillow and bringing her knees up to her chest. "Why?" She screamed. "Oh why, God, _why? _How could you take him away from me?"

Jack felt his own eyes welling up with tears at her words. "I'm right here." He whispered, although he knew she couldn't hear him. Nevertheless, he sat beside her on the couch and desperately attempted to wrap his arms around her, but he knew that she couldn't feel them. She would always be in the dark.

Another tear dripped from Jack's eyes, rolling down his cheek and falling onto the couch below, turning the red fabric a shade darker. Jack didn't realize it at first, but when he noticed, his eyes widened in amazement. He blinked more tears onto the fabric, staining it darker each time. He looked up and saw that Rose noticed as well. She looked up at the ceiling, wondering if there might be a leak. _Wait a second, _she thought to herself. _I live in an apartment. There can't be a leak._ Then, she realized that they might be her own tears.

Jack, however, was trying to think of more ways to signal her. Perhaps he could affect objects if he didn't touch them directly. His tears worked… what else could there be? Curiously, he stood to his feet and moved to a mirror in the corner. He slowly let out a breath, and the glass began to fog. His jaw dropped in surprise, and he held his finger out to write in it, but it didn't work. He sighed deeply and looked back at Rose who was staring intently at the mirror, confused.

Jack thought hard, giving himself a headache, but he remembered how his tears had worked on the sofa. The possibility that it may work again was a long shot, but he had to try. He brought his hand to his face and wetted the end of his fingertip with his own tears, and then brought it to the mirror, drawing a small line in the haze. And to his shock, it worked…

He felt like jumping for joy, and he whipped his head around to Rose, who was staring with wide eyes, having no idea that it was him. She looked scared.

Slowly, Jack dragged his finger across the glass surface, spelling out three words: _It's me, Rose._

Rose didn't hesitate to scream; bloodcurdling, terrified screaming. Jack was tempted to try to comfort her, but he knew it wouldn't work, so he breathed on the mirror again, erasing the writing. He could hear the sound of a baby crying in the next room over, but he and Rose could both only think about each other. He wrote some more on the mirror. _It's Jack, Rose. I'm right here._

Rose panted heavily, an expression of pure terror etched on her face. "This isn't real!" She exclaimed. "This can't be happening!"

Jack had to find a way to soothe her, to take her fear away. _Hold out your hand,_ he wrote, moving towards her.

Rose stayed perfectly still for a few moments, but hesitantly, she slowly outstretched her arm, her palm open. Jack wetted his fingertip again at his eyes and took her arm, spelling out the words _I love you_ on her palm with his tears.

Rose flinched when he touched her, but she didn't shy away. "It really is you." She breathed to the still air around her. There was no other explanation unless she was going insane at a very young age. Slowly, she stood to her feet and ran to the mirror, breathing on it and writing in the fog. _Erase this._ A few seconds later, it disappeared as the mirror became hazy again.

Rose sank to her knees and began to weep. "Jack! Please give me another sign!" She cried desperately. "I need to know this is real."

Jack pressed his lips together and tried to think of another way. He knelt beside her and turned to face her. He pursed his lips into an 'o' and blew gently on her cheek.

Rose brought a hand to her cheek, staring forward with wonder. "Jack…" She whispered. "You're here."

Jack ran to the mirror again and wrote _I've always been. You just didn't know it._

Rose swallowed, and surprisingly, her face stretched into a small, teary smile. She whipped her head around, however, as a loud wail came from her son's room. She looked towards the mirror, awaiting a reply as she stood to her feet.

Jack swallowed and wet his hands with more tears. _Can I see him?_ He wrote, absolutely terrified, but it was what was right. Being able to communicate with Rose tonight hadn't happened for no reason. He was ready to see his child. He had to say goodbye to his old life… he had to tell her to move on, but he had to make loose ends meet before he left. Without seeing his own baby, a part of him would never be complete, a hole in his heart never filled.

Rose nodded and quickly stood to her feet, running to the nursery. She turned on the light and picked up her wailing child, holding him close to her. "Come on, sweetie. Daddy's waiting." She whispered, carrying the baby back into the living room.

As she walked back into the room, Jack turned to face her, a lump coming to his throat as he looked down at his child for the first time. He couldn't see his face clearly around the blanket, but he could see a tiny, pink hand emerging from the wrappings. He could hear the baby's cries, growing quieter with time as Rose rocked him. Slowly, he moved closer and blew on Rose's cheek again to let her know he was there. Rose nodded in his direction and pulled the blanket away from their baby's face so that Jack could see him for the first time.

He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think, he couldn't even move. It was like he were being thrown back into the icy Atlantic ocean. On the face of his son, he saw a mirror reflection of himself. He had Rose's face, petite and perfect, but he had small strands of blonde hair covering his head that he had obviously inherited from him. Jack smiled as the baby opened his watery eyes, revealing another similarity between them. His son's eyes were the same shade of blue as his.

He watched intently as the baby continued to squirm, eventually staring up at his mother, tugging on her hair playfully. Jack let out a choked laugh, his eyes wet. He knelt down to his son's level and tried to reach out for him. He didn't care if he couldn't touch him; he wanted to be as close as he could to his own flesh and blood.

Although he couldn't touch him, he could feel the thrum of his tiny heartbeat, feel his warm skin. Jack swallowed back a lump in his throat and struggled to speak. Finally, when he found the words, he smiled down at his child. "Hey, buddy." He whispered. "I know you can't see me, but I'm your daddy. I'm sorry you'll never get to meet me, but I love you so much. Be good for your mother, okay? She's the most amazing woman I've ever known, and you're lucky that you have her to take care of you. I wish I could be here with you two, but I can't. I'll always be watching over you though. I'm always here."

He choked up at the end, and turned away for a moment to compose himself. He turned back after a moment and walked to the mirror, writing the question he'd been dying to know. _What's his name?_

Rose smiled before answering. "Jack Dawson, Jr."

At her words, Jack froze up before falling to his knees on the carpet, tears pouring down his cheeks at a rapid pace. He couldn't control them now; it was much too late to even try.

Rose looked down and could see the spots on the floor where his tears fell, staining the carpet darker. She knelt down beside the spot where she was sure he was and stared towards the carpet. "Jack…" She whispered. "I know you can't stay, but… please promise me you'll always be watching."

He nodded frantically, forgetting that she couldn't see. He ran to the mirror and wrote out his answer. _Of course._

He hesitated for a moment before writing out more. _I'll always be there for you._ Before leaving, he ran towards her and fell to his knees beside her. Concentrating hard on every fiber of his being, he tried to think of whatever tied him to this moment. Love, joy, loss, pain, remembrance… every emotion in the world that he felt, and he reached out towards her.

He took her face between his hands, still wet with tears, and tried to press his lips to hers. She didn't kiss him back, so he knew it wasn't working. He desperately tried again, but he knew it wasn't even worth the attempt. More tears fell from his eyes, and slowly, he leaned in and settled for kissing her cheek.

Rose's face was now wet as well as his own, although he wasn't sure if it was stained with his tears or her own, perhaps both. She smiled and reached her hand up to her face, touching her cheek gently with her fingertips. "I felt you." She whispered.

Jack took another shaky breath and leaned his face against her shoulder, wetting her nightgown with tears. She reached her hand up and patted the spot where she thought his head lay. "Shhh… don't cry."

He lifted his head and stood to his feet, unable to stay any longer. He was losing himself, all of his strength nearly gone. The weight of his previous life was crushing him. He walked slowly to the mirror and wrote his final goodbye. _I'll never let go._

"Neither will I." Rose replied, her voice stronger than ever. Surprisingly, this experience had somehow strengthened her. She knew now that she could move on in peace, knowing that he was there somehow. She no longer felt alone, abandoned. She knew he would always be watching.

Jack smiled and wrote _Goodbye_ before kneeling down for a final kiss, on Rose's cheek and on baby Jack's forehead.

Rose waited for a few minutes afterwards, waiting for another sign, but she knew that he was gone. She felt as if she were about to cry, but instead she smiled. She looked down at Jack Jr. and kissed his cheek. "Your daddy loves you," She whispered. "and so do I."

After setting him back in his crib, she walked to the mirror, examining the last shred of proof that Jack had been here. "This isn't goodbye, Jack." She whispered. "It's only the beginning." And so, breathing on the mirror, she erased his final goodbye, knowing that this was what he had wanted of her. Knowing that he would be there beside her was all the knowledge she needed to live a happy life.

It was time to move on.

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**_So, what did you think? Please review with all of your constructive criticism, compliments, what you liked, what you didn't, ideas for a future fanfic, or anything pertaining to my writing. I really want to hear what all of you think! I haven't had much time to write recently with school and all, so it was a miracle that I managed to write this on a school night. Also, I totally blew off studying for an English test tomorrow, so I really hope you guys enjoyed this!_**

**_Also, please no flames on this one! I happen to be very proud of it, and I really enjoyed writing it. So, if you didn't like it, please suggest what I can do to improve it instead of insulting me. And if I get any reviews that say something along the lines of, "He's dead, dumb bitch! This could've never happened in real life!" then you have no imagination. Who cares if I like to write about fantasy and the supernatural? It's more fun than writing boring old stories with Rose wallowing in grief forever._**

**_Alrighty, now that my little rant about unimaginative flamers is over, I'd like to thank you for reading my fanfic! And once again, please review!_**

**_FallingStar95_**


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